Glen Kotzen will be hoping to take R100 off Gary Player on Saturday, the standing bet between the pair whenever the Kotzen-trained Rascova and the Player-owned Double Grand Slam clash. Saturday’s Majorca will be their 11th clash and the score is 6-4 in favour of Double Grand Slam. (Picture: Wayne Marks).
Glen Kotzen has some good chances on WSB Met day and this includes two runners in Gr 1 events.
He said, “We’re going to have a cracking day. Obviously we’ve still got to wait for the final bloods, which is only on the morning of the race. But I’m really, really chuffed with how they’re working and the way I’ve placed them.”
The Gr 1 Maine Chance Farms Majorca Stakes over 1600m is in the unusual spot of race 2 on the day and Kotzen, asked whether his charge, the gallant Lancaster Bomber filly Rascova, would enjoy the step down in trip from the 1800m of the Gr 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes confirmed, “Yes, definitely last time up the pacemaker never suited us, because she went so fast, so we ended up being the pacemaker. The 1800m has always been a touch far for her, so this is the race that we wanted to get her fit and ready for, and she’s had a great prep coming into this race.”
She is drawn two with Gavin Lerena up and faces her arch rival Double Grand Slam for the eleventh time with the score at 6-4 to Double Grand Slam.
Kotzen believes the latter is the chief danger as he questions the form of the Gr 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas. Fatal Flaw won that race by a cosy two lengths, but second place was filled by the 93-rated Scarlet McCaw and Glen questioned whether the latter was a Gr 1 racehorse. The question will be answered on Saturday, because both Fatal Flaw and Scarlet Macaw are in the Majorca.
Later, Kotzen runs the talented and versatile Dynasty gelding King Regent in the Gr 1 HKJC World Pool Cape Flying Championship over 1000m and he said, “His form up the straight is deadly (two wins and a close third in four starts). In the King’s Plate his bloods weren’t 100% right and he still ran an okay race. He doing nicely and I’m just freshening him up and I’m looking forward to seeing him run.”
King Regent can start slowly on occasion, but Kotzen said, “He jumped nicely the other day and I don’t see why he won’t jump well again. It just depends on who’s going mad next to him.”
King Regent has a nice enough draw of seven and his regular rider Denis Schwarz rides. Kotzen believed any one of about ten horses could win the race and he made King Regent a good outsider.
Kotzen’s day starts in race one with the eyecatching Call Of The Karoo (William Longsword) running in the Listed Heineken Summer Juvenile Stakes over 1100m, although she is drawn on the wrong side by trends in barrier position eleven of eleven.
Glen said, “She will have to come over from the draw but it is not too much of a hassle. She’s definitely a runner. If the jockey (JP van der Merwe) had known her first time out she would have got a little bit closer. But anyway, I’m very happy she’s had a great prep. This has been a race that we wanted her to run in, and we’ll see.”
She was a 3,75 length second to the smart Black Cheetah over 800m on debut, but she is a long-striding sort who was staying on well on debut and will appreciate the step up in trip. Black Cheetah beat a good field next time out to frank the form.
In the Gr 3 New Turf Carriers Western Cape Stayers over 2800m the yard run Blackberry Malt and Holding Thumbs.
Glen said, “In the 2000m race at Fairview in October Blackberry was beaten a shorthead and two lengths behind him was Holding Thumbs, so he has got to have a chance if he stays, we’ll see. They don’t go a cracking pace in these staying races, so it could be an easy 2,800m. We don’t know if he stays the distance, but he’s by Ideal World and he’s an honest and solid horse and he’s doing well.”
He said about Holding Thumbs, “He’s won over 2.500m (and he was a close second last time over 2500m). I’ll put the blinkers back on him, I think that he was running around in the closing stages last time out. He’s honest and I think he’s got a big shout.”
He added, “But the horse to beat at the weights is Mucho Dinero, as he is many kgs better off with a lot of the horses he faced last time. But he isn’t the soundest of horses, so who knows what’s going to come to the track?”
Kotzen runs Disting and Golden Tatjana in the Listed SABC Olympic Duel Stakes over 1200m and he said, “Disting needed her last run quite badly and she can be competitive. We are going to fit her with earmuffs and a hood as she seems to like it. It’s quite an open race, but I think she’s got a chance.”
He continued, Golden Tatjana, “She returned from a knee chip for her last run and she’ll run a much improved race.”
In race ten over 1400m he runs Commanding and Walk With Me and said, “Commanding just found one horse better last time (the smart Garrix) and on paper he’s probably our best runner on the day. He’s got a draw, he’s working well and we think he’s a huge runner.”
He added, “Walk With Me hasn’t got the best of draws and he’s quite a quirky little horse. He’s a nice horse and we’ve been waiting to give him a run around the bend and it will be nice to give the owners a runner on the day.”
